Phils nab five-tool outfielder on Day 2

Stewart highly touted prep star; club selects 13 pitchers

By David Gurian-Peck / MLB.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Some people say Jacob Stewart is the best prep athlete in Colorado history. Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess went beyond the square state's borders, calling Stewart America's best high school center fielder. "Baseball America" ranked the 18-year-old at No. 74 in the nation.

Yet on Wednesday, the Phillies were able to swoop in during the 2009 First-Year Player Draft and nab Stewart in the 14th round, 437th overall.

He is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and, in the words of ESPN.com, "looks like he might have a body fat percentage around 0.01 percent." Stewart hit .544 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs as a senior at Rocky Mountain High School -- and scouts say that hitting is the least refined of the five tools he brings.

Stewart has blazing speed and was also one of the top wide receivers in Colorado. In 12 games, he had 48 receptions for 945 yards and 13 touchdowns. Oh, and he played basketball, too.

That's why Stewart had hoped to hear his name called on Day 1 of the Draft. At least one scout predicted that the Phillies might select him 75th overall. They chose another high school center fielder, Kelly Dugan, instead, and may have found a bargain 12 rounds later.

The chief issue will be signability. Stewart would have to forgo a scholarship to Stanford University -- where he has already committed -- and therefore supposedly wants first-round money. He will seek advice from his father, James, who was drafted by the Twins and spent 1982 in their farm system.

Philadelphia's other Day 2 selections:

Round 4, Adam Buschini, 2B, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo: Scouting director Marti Wolever had said that he wanted another middle infielder. Buschini, a first-team All-Big West selection, hit .422 with 11 home runs and 61 RBIs this season. He can play multiple positions, starting 19 games at first base, 16 at second, seven at third and three in right field.

Round 5, Matthew Way, LHP, Washington State University: Left-handed pitchers were also atop Wolever's wishlist, and in Way, he got somebody who was 8-4 with a 2.43 ERA and school-record 124 strikeouts in 2009. The Alaskan native's ERA was the lowest by a Washington State player since 1991, when Aaron Sele -- who would have a 15-year Major League career -- posted a 2.22 ERA.

Round 6, Steven Inch, RHP, Vauxhall High School: Inch has 76 inches to his name. At 6-foot-4, this right-hander from Alberta's premiere baseball academy is lanky, one of several tall pitchers the Phillies took on Day 2. He went 4-0 with an 0.84 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Round 7, Brody Colvin, RHP, St. Thomas Moore High School: Colvin is also 6-foot-4. His fastball ranges from 89-93 mph, and he sports a slurve clocked between 76 and 79 mph.

Round 8, Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Robert A. Millikan High School: Singleton reached base in more than half his plate appearances, posting a .510 on-base percentage to go with his .317 batting average. He also had four homers, 25 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 30 games.

Round 9, Aaron Altherr, CF, Agua Fria High School: This athletic, multi-sport star pitched and played shortstop in 2009, but center field is his best position.

Round 11, Jeremy Barnes, SS, University of Notre Dame: This season, Barnes hit .353 with a team-high 15 homers and 70 RBIs in 59 games, also posting an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of 1.093.

Round 12, Nicholas Hernandez, LHP, University of Tennessee: Hernandez does not have electric raw stuff, but he has excellent command and mental makeup. Over his past two seasons, he walked 30 batters in 168 innings, compared to 133 strikeouts. Overall, he is 10-14 with a 5.44 ERA in three years at Tennessee.

Round 13, Ryan Sasaki, LHP, Connally High School: Sasaki went 6-4 with a 1.30 ERA, striking out 94 in 70 innings. His fastball hovers under 90 mph with a lot of movement.

Round 15, Austin Hyatt, RHP, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa: In 15 starts this year, the 6-foot-3 fifth-year senior was 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 103 innings while leading Alabama to the NCAA tournament.

Round 16, Andrew Susac, C, Jesuit High School: Susac brings a powerful bat to the plate, and a strong throwing arm from behind it. His talent is raw -- his hitting technique is considered subpar -- but good enough to make him one of the top backstops in this year's Draft class.

Round 18, Roy Uhl, OF, University of California, Riverside: The 5-foot-8 switch-hitter uses his legs more than his bat, swiping 23 bases in 28 attempts in 2009. He hit .272 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 53 games.

Round 21, Chase Johnson, RHP, South Mountain Community College: Johnson is a bulky right-hander, coming in at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. In 18 appearances, he notched a 3.63 ERA and two saves in 22 1/3 innings.

Round 27, Marlon Mitchell, C, Hillsborough High School: Mitchell, who is signed to play at North Carolina State next year, hit .329 with one homer and 15 RBIs as a high school senior.

Round 28, Justin Beal, RHP, Missouri Southern State College: The 6-foot-2 righty started seven of his 13 appearances, going 3-2 with a 5.50 ERA. He also hit .305 with 29 RBIs in 164 at-bats as a part-time infielder.

Round 29, Mark Doll, RHP, Southern Polytechnic State University: Doll was the Southern States Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2008, when he went 10-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 games (13 starts). This year he was 11-2 with a 2.94 ERA.

Round 30, Stephen Kohischeen, RHP, Cowley County Community College: The Norman, Okla., native is towering at 6-foot 7, 205 pounds. He was 9-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.

David Gurian-Peck is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.